


Anchor

by stateofgrace



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: 1x24, Angst, Episode Related, Explicit Language, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-17
Updated: 2011-05-17
Packaged: 2017-10-19 12:27:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/200837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stateofgrace/pseuds/stateofgrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This time when he stands up and Danny locks him in another embrace Steve feels the weight -- not what's dragging him down, but the anchor that's holding up. Tag to 1x24. SPOILERS FOR SEASON FINALE!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anchor

**Author's Note:**

> My first Hawaii Five-O fic. Non-beta. All mistakes are mine. After the finale, this just came pouring out. Starts with a conversation between Danny and Chin and goes from there.

"I wanna see him."

"Danny, I want to make that possible. Believe me, I do. But you need to trust me, brah. The only way I can help Steve right now is by taking every shred of evidence we have and piecing this mess together."

Danny gave him an incredulous look. "You want me to trust you? Are you kidding me?! You hauled him out of the Governor's house in handcuffs, Chin! You put him in the back of a squad car and let HPD process him into the system like he's some kind of God damn criminal! Where's your fucking loyalty, huh? After everything -- and I mean everything -- that Steve has done for you. You know he didn't do this."

Chin took a deep breath and stood toe to toe with a shaking Danny Williams, anger radiating off the other man in waves.

"Let me ask you something, Danny. When I said I was going to do something, what exactly did you think I meant? Did you think, for even a second, that we had a hope of clearing McGarrett's name without access to the inside of this investigation? They were picking us apart one by one. I knew when Steve took off that _you_ were the best chance he had of keeping his head above water. Meanwhile, I made a backup of every file and every piece of information that Steve had on Wo Fat and his father's investigation, and _then_ I wiped the drives. I've also already gone through analysis of every print at Laura Hill's home. All had the same pattern -- thumb, index and forefinger, and there was no smudging --"

"So you know they were planted," Danny finished.

"Exactly. There's the first thing we needed. I'm also waiting for a gunpowder residue test that will confirm Steve didn't fire the weapon that killed the Governor. Combine that with the burns from the stun gun on his neck, general disorientation and loss of muscle control observed by HPD, and the case gets stronger. Finally, we're pulling every single surveillance tape from the Governor's home, every phone log and scrap of paper we can get our hands on. You're a cop, Danny. You know how we've gotta play this."

"Alright ... alright. You get him medical treatment? Make sure he's not being a stupid tough guy again?"

Chin flashed him a brief smile. "Despite the circumstances, he's not chained to a wall in interrogation, ok? I also called Catherine, she's got a top military civilian lawyer on a chopper. ETA's about an hour from now. We had a doc come in and patch up the burns on Steve's neck and give him a once over. Best we can do for now."

"Chin, I need to see him. Need. As in to physically verify that he's in one piece, and to mentally verify that he's not *thisclose* to going off the reservation. Please."

"Is that for you or for him, brah?"

Danny practically dug his shoes into the floor to keep his nervous energy in check. "Both, ok? Because the last image I have in my head tonight will not be the fucking look of a wounded animal that only slightly resembled my partner."  
\-------  
It's dark and it's cold and everything's made of fucking brick and metal, and those are just the thoughts Danny can conjure up at the moment as he's led through a holding area below HPD. The one that keeps punching itself into his brain though, poking like a God damn ice pick into his cerebral cortex, is that Steve doesn't belong here, locked up in a cage like he's a danger to everyone around him.

He paces restlessly as the HPD captain disappears into the holding cell, and rocks back on the balls of his feet when the door opens and Chief Makaha gestures him inside. Steve's perched on the edge of a metal cot, his arms locked behind him. He doesn't even make eye contact when Danny enters the room, and the defeat in his posture makes Danny's insides churn with a mixture of sadness and anger.

"Take the cuffs off." He says it with an air of authority, his voice laced with a venom even Steve winces from.

"I can't do that, Detective. I'm sorry."

Danny turns, backs Makaha towards the wall. "He's my fucking partner. He's also a United States naval officer accorded the respect of your staff no matter what he's been accused of. Innocent until proven guilty, right? Now I'm not going to ask again. Take the God damn cuffs off."

"Danny, it's fine --"

"No Steven, it is not fine. Nothing about this is fine."

Danny's pretty sure Makaha curses in some sort of native language, but he gestures for Steve to stand up and removes the cuffs long enough to bring Steve's hands in front of his body before re-latching the cuffs.

"Best I can do, detective. You've got 10 minutes."

Danny listens to the door click shut behind them, but notes there's no receeding footsteps in the hall. He crouches in front of Steve anyway, tilts his chin up until they're on the same eye level.

"You hanging in there, babe?"

It's the best he can come up with, because asking Steve if he's OK seems like the most assanine thing in the world at the moment. But something splits Danny's heart open at the fear and confusion in McGarrett's eyes, and he leans forward and bunches up his partner in a hug that's both better and worse than the last one they shared. Better for the verification that Steve's whole. That he's still physically present and something tangible that Danny's able to reach out and touch. Worse because of what brought them here, and the fact that the parts of Steve that would normally resist all of this touchy feely nonsense are too lost in the throngs of shock to protest.

"Let me tell you something, ok? Just listen. I know you didn't do this. There was never -- NEVER -- a doubt about that, alright? And I know this is not something you wanna hear right now, but we need to let Chin do his thing. He's upstairs as we speak putting together the evidence that will let you walk out that door very, very soon."

Steve recoils at that announcement. "I can't trust him, Danny. I don't know who I can fucking trust right now."

He wants to get up, put his fist through a wall, break his way out of here piece by piece, but Steve's got an anchor holding him in place in the form of Danny's fingers gripping his knees.

"Steven, look at me. Look. at. me."

He waits until Steve's holding eye contact with him, then Danny reaches up and cups Steve's chin in his hand, holding his jaw firm. "You got me. I'm right here. And I say it's going to be fine, alright? Chin's our ohana, and whatever he's doing ... whatever angle he's playing ... the only way to work this is from the inside. We follow procedure and we clear your name. Tell me you understand that."

Steve nods, but Danny's not letting him off that easily.

"I want words out of your mouth, Steven. Hey --" he pats Steve's cheek. "Do not put your fucking head down and wallow here, Commander, because that things weighs a ton and your neck's going to get stiff after a while."

It's the first comment that draws a hint of a smile from Steve. "Alright. I got it Danny."

"Good. That's...good. Now do me a favor and power down and at least try to get some rest. You can't keep beating yourself up. It's not doing anybody any good."

Steve nods, grateful for his partner's support. This time when he stands up and Danny locks him in another embrace Steve feels the weight -- not what's dragging him down, but the anchor that's holding up.


End file.
